Second Impressions
by Mina Ina Cooper
Summary: AU Season 2. After Spike dies in 'Chosen', he finds himself accepting a request made by the Powers That Be for him to go back in time and rewrite history, starting with when he first arrives at the Hellmouth.
1. Chosen

**A/N - There are a bunch of stories about Buffy going back in time to get Spike back, but I wanted to see how Spike would handle trying to get Buffy back. The first half of this chapter contains dialogue taken from Season 7 Episode 22 'Chosen'. Let me know what you think and leave a review please. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Obviously, this isn't mine, but I'm borrowing Joss Wheden's words (as he wrote the episode) and characters for my own use and pleasure.  
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Chapter One: Chosen's Demise

The earth above and below violently shook around them. Spike looked upon the chaos, the potentials running around, taking on the Turok-Han. He could see Buffy getting up off the ground. A flesh wound in her abdomen couldn't stop this woman, not after everything, not during this.

Spike watched as Rona threw the scythe to Buffy, almost instantly standing a little straighter, a little more determined. She knocked down five vampires in one long sweep. Vampires, along with slayers were going over the edge, fighting each other with dangerous vigor.

The blonde vampire stumbled as the Seal began to open. "Oh, bollocks," he mumbled to himself.

And energy shot up from him, straight through into Sunnydale High, bursting through the floor, narrowly missing the still-prone Willow, and continuing through the ceiling, from whence the noon sun poured straight back down.

"I didn't do that..." Willow muttered.

The sun hit Spike, pinning him, causing him pain, and something else to build within him.

"Buffy..." Spike yelled.

She saw him and raced over to him. "Spike!" She dove out of the way as a prism ray of pure, soulful sunlight blasted out of the amulet and into the cavern. It wiped out the vamps instantly, and even started tearing apart the cavern.

"Everybody out! Now!" Faith ordered.

The girls fought their way to the exit. Everything was shaking. Buffy went to Spike. He was pinned in place, energy still blasting from him.

"I can feel it, Buffy."

"What?"

"My soul. It's really there. Kinda stings."

As debris fell and everything shook, the Slayers ran out toward the entrance. Buffy hadn't left Spike's side.

"Go on, then..." Spike urged.

"You've done enough, you can still—"

"No. You beat 'em back, it's for me to do the clean up."

Faith called from the entrance, "Buffy! Come on!"

The debris around them, kept falling, increasingly threatening to anything still left in the Hellmouth. "Gotta move, lamb. I think it's fair to say school's out for the bloody summer." The cavern was collapsing at the top and bottom—the actual school falling in on the vamps.

"Spike..."

"I mean it. I gotta do this."

His hand was held up, frozen in his rictus of revelatory pain. Buffy took her own hand and interlocked it with his. A moment, and both their hands burst into flames. The two of them ignored the flames, looking only at each other.

"I love you," Buffy whispered. A moment passed.

Spike smiled kindly. "No you don't. But thanks for saying it." A large quake rocked them. Spike pushed her away. "It's your world up there. Now GO!"

She looked at him—and ran. He looked back at the destruction in front of him, and smiled wickedly.

"I wanna see how it ends."

As the souled vampire was being eaten alive, turning to dust from the inside out, he laughed almost evilly. He always knew he would go out fighting, the way a true warrior did. The sun called to Spike, and he relished in his demise.

Spike felt the burning, the searing burning, but he knew all too well that it wasn't the worst pain in the world. He'd do anything for Buffy, and here he did his worst; he sacrificed himself for her. How would he have known that the soul would be his redemption?

He hadn't planned that of course. The soul was to do right by her, to not be the monster she saw. He was more than, so much more than that. Only something more than human, but with a soul could wear that amulet. That left only him and his grandsire, the Poof. Had Angel known what the amulet would do to him when he volunteered? There were too many questions, not that they mattered anymore.

Spike could still feel the pain. He was sure that he had perished, so where was he. Had he landed himself in Hell? He never expected to go to Heaven, not with his colorful past. But he had at least expected _something. _He had no sense of where he was; he couldn't see, hear, smell, detect anything around him.

No wait, he was beginning to hear something, a dulled, pained roar. As it continued, he thought he was getting closer to it, but then he realized that the sound was coming from him. The intensity of the pain was so great, he hadn't even noticed that he was screaming from it. And then everything became quiet.

Spike must have passed out, because he opened his eyes to a great, white room. He was on his back, laying on a smooth, cool surface. He leaned forward, taking in his surroundings. He could see white as far as he could see, in any given direction. The vampire got up on his feet and began walking. This place didn't seem to be Hell or Heaven. Spike didn't know what to make of it, but maybe if he walked long enough, he'd come across something new, or at least think of some explanation to where the bleeding hell he was.

He wandered for what seemed like hours. His vampire sense of time didn't work here, and for all he knew, he could have been here days, or even only minutes. It didn't matter to him really, but this place had bored him very quickly. He would have preferred Hell over this.

_Do you really wish that upon yourself, Vampire?_

Spike heard the voice reverberate in his head. He couldn't see anything speaking to him, even if this thing was using telepathy, he should see what was talking to him, right? He didn't know if he should respond, but he figured he might as well try to get some answers.

"What is this place?" Spike called out to the empty space. His voice echoed, without giving any indicator if this place even had walls for the sound to echo off of.

_This is the place that does not exist. _

"Right helpful that is, mate." Spike called out sarcastically. "Mind telling a vamp what the bloody hell that means?"

_ This is not a physical plane of existence.. This realm is only perceived when we wish it to be._

"We? Who is this 'we'? 'Cause I only hear one annoying voice in my head right now." Spike wasn't sure if this was sick game on his behalf, where he talks to a lone voice in a room that doesn't exist. He wondered lightly if this was how Dru's mind worked.

_We are many with one voice. We are all knowing. _

"All knowing of what? Very cocky to say a thing like that, you know."

_We know of the universe. Nothing occurs without our knowledge. Sometimes, nothing occurs without our involvement. We know everything there is to be known._

"Meddlesome freaks. Reminds me of the Powers That—fuck…"

_ Yes Vampire, we are the Powers That Be. We are the Powers of All Time, the Powers That Will Always Be. You should be grateful for all that we have done. _

"Not too impressed with the universe right now. A lot of painful things happened down there. What happened down there? You couldn't even warn us, for fuck's sake?"

_Certain events that occurred were even out of our reach. We could not reverse what had already been accomplished. We cannot control the universe, only guide it._

Spike was about to ask what events the Powers couldn't change, until he realized. Buffy's death, followed by her resurrection by Willow. This had all happened because Buffy was alive.

_Not because the Slayer lives, but because she lives again._

"Wasn't there anything possible that could have been done to prevent any of this? Buffy was pulled out of fucking _Heaven, _and she's somehow responsible for The First and the Turok-Han? There were many players in this sick game that lead to this. You guys should have been able to see things before anything happened. Isn't that what you sick bastards do all day? Handing out visions and whatnot to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the first place?"

_We could not foresee the Witch resurrecting the Slayer. We had guided the world until the Slayer's timely death, but We were not prepared for a power of that magnitude to change the course of the universe. _

"Are you telling me that Red got the upper hand on the bloody Powers That Be? Who'da thunk the bird had all of that in her?" Spike was a bit smug to know that not even the Powers could prevent a then small-time witch on the Hellmouth.

_We cannot prevent certain courses of action from taking place, but we can rewrite the balance of the universe. _

"Do you mean like changing history and all that rot? Is that wise? You never know might happen instead, changing all sorts of futures, worse things could happen instead."

_You are wise, Vampire. That is why you are here. _

"Are you meaning to tell me that you want _me_ to change history? Is that why I'm here instead of some fiery pit in Hell?" Since first arriving here, Spike was starting to get a bad feeling.

_We wish for you to prevent the events that took place that lead to the imbalance of the universe._

"How the hell do you plan on having me do that exactly?" Spike had disbelief in his voice. The Powers couldn't foresee what had happened, and they couldn't prevent anything else from happening even after they knew what was happening to their little universe.

_We wish to send you back in time. Your mind and soul shall bind with your former body at a specific point in time, when you first arrived at the Hellmouth._

"So, you're just putting me in my own body and trusting that I'm going to fix things and prevent everything that you couldn't?" More disbelief from Spike. That Spike had Dru and no chip. What would stop him from returning to old habits and reliving the life he had before he fell in love with the Slayer.

_We trust that you will make the correct decisions. You lost more than most, and became stronger because of it. We may not have chosen wisely before, but we are sure that you can do right where we were wrong. There is much to be changed. _

Spike knew thinking about being the Big Bad the way he used to be was futile. He was still in love with Buffy, and if there was any chance that he could see her again, do right by her again, he would take it. Buffy suffered a greater deal than any one he knew, and if he could change that, and reduce her suffering by even a small percentage, then she had that much more reason to smile again. He hadn't seen a real Buffy-smile is ages, and he wanted to give her the life she deserved. The Powers had royally screwed her over the last several years, but at least they were admitting to that now. He was being given the chance to give her what she deserved, and he wasn't about to turn that down.

_Does that mean that you agree, Vampire?_

"One question. Why me? Why not your beloved Poof?"

_You no longer have a form on this Earth. It is easier this way._

Spike frowned. He was only being asked to help Buffy because he was dead, whereas the Poof wasn't.

_This is not the only reason. We chose the Vampire with a soul to help Buffy for his redemption. Buffy is no longer his prize, as there was a fatal error in our decision. You, Vampire, are not as…capricious. Your love for the Slayer is not dependent on your soul. _

At least someone knew that you didn't need a soul to love, unlike those wankers at the Council. "Alright. I agree or whatever. Send me back in time."


	2. Home Sweet Home

**A/N - There is dialogue taken from Season 2 Episode 3 'School Hard' and mentions of Season 4 Episode 3 "The Harsh Light of Day' in this chapter. So far, everything is revolving around Spike, so no Buffy yet. For Spuffy fans, sorry, but there are several mentions of a Spike/Drusilla pairing. It won't be like that for long, but it'll all be explained in this chapter. I hope you like this chapter, and please let me know what you guys think!**

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Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home

Spike wasn't sure exactly what had happened after he agreed to being sent back in time, but he did remember seeing black again. He blinked a few times, closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he saw a road. Spike looked down at himself and knew that this was his corporeal body. Cigarette in hand, he lit it and inhaled deeply, allowing the old sensation to pass through his lungs again, as he hadn't enjoyed this experience in awhile. Not when The First was so close.

He noticed the 'Welcome To Sunnydale' sign flat underneath his old DeSoto, sticking out from under his tire. He looked at the town he had literally just destroyed not too long ago. Everything was new and fresh in his eyes again, not a thing looked out of place. He chuckled to himself.

"Home sweet home."

The bleached blonde drove to the old factory that he and his Dark Princess had lived in before. She was in the passenger seat next to him, weak and not too aware of her surroundings. He looked at his sire, and knew that no matter how he felt for the Slayer now, he would always hold a place in his heart for Dru. He was here to protect Buffy, but he felt that he owed it to the raven-haired beauty to make her strong again. After that mob in Prague, she was terribly fragile, and not even this older Spike could leave her like that.

He entered the factory, remembering how it would play out. He waited as he listened to the vampires talking, waiting for his cue.

"The Master is dead. Someone has to take his place," a bigger vampire stated.

A leaner vampire responded, "As long as the Slayer is alive, whoever takes his place will be sharing his grave!"

"Then let the soul who kills her wear his mantle."

"Can you do it?" The Anointed One asked the bigger vampire.

"Yes. This weekend, the Night of Saint Vigeous, our power shall be at it's peak! When I kill her, it'll be the greatest event since the crucifixion. And I should know. I was there."

Spike chose that moment to make himself known, "You were there? Oh please."

He strolled in, eyeing everyone with amusement. He got in the bigger vampire's face. "If every vampire who said he was at the crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like Woodstock!"

"I ought to rip your throat out," the vampire spit.

Spike wrinkles his nose. "Would it kill ya', little mouthwash every couple hundred years?" Spike moved on, purposefully turning his back on the big vampire, and looked at the others, glancing at a metal cage, some meat hooks, and old chains hanging from pulleys in the ceiling. Spike continued, "I was actually at Woodstock. That was a weird gig. Fed off a flower person and spent six hours watching my hands move."

The vampire whom Spike had just mocked just moments before came at him from behind. Spike ripped a chain from the pulley, whipped it around the vampire's neck and yanked, chaining his face against the iron bars of the cage. Spike wasn't even out of breath.

The bleached blonde knew he had made a statement. "So, who do you kill for fun around here?"

The Anointed One was confused, with a hint of being impressed. "Who are you?"

This was where Spike changed the scene in the middle of the act. He thought that maybe he could feign big talk about killing this Slayer, but Spike knew that he had no intention of doing just that. These guys were just waiting to be big piles of dust, the annoying one being number one on the Master vampire's list. He decided to keep it simple this time, "Spike."

"What do you want?"

Now wasn't that a loaded question. He wanted the Slayer, and not to kill her as he had wanted to the last time around. Of course, things would not be too easy. Spike still had to kill these vampires, without risking Drusilla, as she would be walking in any moment now, so that pushed back his window of opportunity. He also knew that his grandsire would be hanging around Buffy, so he had to find a way to contact the Slayer without the Poof figuring out he was there. During his thoughts, he realized that several beats had past since the question was asked, so he answered with the next truth. "I'm here to restore my Black Goddess back to health."

Just as he finished that sentence, the aforementioned vampire wandered in. She was looking at everything around her with a child-like fascination. "Drusilla," Spike let go of the big vampire after he returned to his human visage. "You shouldn't be walking around. You're weak."

"Look at all the people. Are these nice people?"

"We're getting along."

Drusilla moved over to the Anointed One, but she was still talking to Spike. "This one has power. I could feel it from outside."

"Yeah, he's a big noise in these parts. Anointed, and all that."

Drusilla addressed the vampire child, "Do you like daisies? I plant them but they always die. Everything I put in the ground withers and dies." Drusilla looked up and spoke to her childe, "Spike, I'm cold."

He whipped off his coat and laid it around her shoulders, holding her as he did. "I got you."

"I'm a princess…"

"That's what you are."

She ran her finger along his cheek, drawing blood. It trickled down Spike's face. He didn't flinch, and Drusilla gently licked it off. He turned to the others.

"Me and Dru, we're moving in. Anyone wanna test who's got the biggest wrinklies around here, step on up."

Spike and Drusilla had settled in a room of their own, with Dru quietly sleeping in the bed. Spike hadn't made any promises to the Anointed One this time about killing the Slayer, but he hoped that he'd still make a big enough impression to not become a target.

The bleached blonde had brought all of Dru's dolls into their room, along with the few supplies they had. It was almost peaceful watching the dark beauty sleeping, and for a moment he could forget that she was dying. That he needed to help the Slayer instead of trying to kill her. But he knew that he could not hold onto his sire forever and that Buffy should be his top priority.

Last time, Drusilla had told him that she would lose him to the sunshine, and he had not known exactly what that had meant until she came back to town. He had tied her up, along with Buffy, and confessed his feelings for the Slayer, and the raven-haired vampire had known all along.

That time, along with every other time he tried to profess his love, had come to bite him in the arse. And now that he was here, with nothing to do but think, he wondered about the Slayer's confession to him right before he perished.

She had thrown him a bone, the one thing he wanted to hear from her since falling in love with her. Buffy had cared for him, he knew that, but did she love him? On some level, he thought it was true, that somewhere inside of her, she had loved him and may have not fully realized it until the threat of his death.

But at the same time, there was that inkling that she didn't. He had told her that she didn't because he wanted her to survive and to get the hell out of there. His first reaction when he heard those words had been hope, but he knew it was too late for anything. He had to let her go. She had to live, so one of them was living. He remembered singing that to her, at a time when she didn't want to live.

After being torn out of Heaven, she had been emotionless with nothing to live for. Those potential girls, protecting and training them to fight, had given her a new purpose. And while she had never been quite the same since being brought back from the dead, she was at least far from being the walking zombie she had been since her resurrection.

Buffy said that he was the only one she could be herself with, but he knew that he couldn't really help her, not the way he wanted. She was self-destructive, and in her quest to punish herself, she destroyed him as well. Given the circumstances, it was not a healthy relationship at all. Had things been different, they could have been so much greater for each other. At least that's what he hoped.

He blinked at the spot he had been staring at on the floor. He realized then that everything he knew of, was about to change. No need to dwell on the past that wouldn't happen, now that he was there to make sure that things changed for the better. He had to make a plan now, but he knew that he couldn't prevent everything on his own.

Spike had to find a way to contact Buffy and convince her of everything he knew of. He needed to approach her in a way that wasn't alarming and talk her into a private meeting before revealing his identity. He wasn't going to follow her around with cryptic messages like his Poof of a grandsire, but at the same time she needed to know that he wasn't a threat to her.

On the off chance that she figured out that he was a vampire before he could tell her about his soul and used her 'stake-first-ask-questions-later' method, he needed insurance that he would still be alive. He couldn't fulfill his mission from the Powers is he was dust. With that, he decided to unearth the protection he needed. He was going to dig up the Gem of Amarra again.

Spike had all the blueprints, tools, and everything else that he needed for his dig. He hired five bone-headed vampires to start the work on the tunnel. It took nearly five days last time to locate the crypt, but this time, Spike knew exactly where it was. Hopefully with this knowledge and the extra man-power, he could have the Gem by midday.

They worked hard for several hours straight, tearing at rock and earth with tools and bare hands. Spike was so close and yet so far. He had left his princess sleeping, taking off right away to execute his plan almost as soon as he made it.

It worried him that a vampire should sleep so long, but he knew that even in her weakened state, Drusilla would wake up soon and find him gone. He left word with one of the Anointed One's minions that should she wake up hungry, Drusilla would be brought someone to feed on. Spike may not kill anymore, but nobody needed to know that, least of all his sire.

At last, his pick-ax brought a chunk of stone clanging to the ground. He had reached the crypt! He pulled himself up through the opening into the chambers. The dark room brightened with the kerosene lamp the vampire carried. He looked around the room, remembering all the jewels and antiques.

He never knew why he never sold the extra possessions, as they were sure to fetch a pretty penny each. He searched for the tiny ring, locating it with ease and slipped it on his finger. For good measure, he put on a few other rings to distract from the out-of-place green stone next to his sliver skull ring.

Spike noticed the convenient stake he had used on Harmony when she had been in here, running her mouth like there was no tomorrow. He took the stake and dropped through the hole in the ground. When one of vampires asked about their share of the riches, Spike turned him into dust, and dispatched the remaining four workers. Spike couldn't risk anyone else learning of the crypt or what he had been looking for inside of it.

The bleached blonde made a mental reminder to come back again for the rest of the valuables. He hid the entrance as best he could, and made his way to the surface.

Spike closed his eyes as he relished in the suns rays and took a deep, unneeded breath. He knew that he had to return to the factory soon, but he wanted to enjoy these uninterrupted moments first. Last time, Spike had never fully taken advantage of the Gem, but he was going to make the most of it this time.

After he was done indulging himself, the vampire made his way back towards the tunnel and into the sewers. He traveled back to the factory and went to his bedroom. Drusilla was sleeping, but the dead pizza guy in the corner indicated that she had in fact woken up earlier and was given something to eat. He hated that his sire was killing, but for now, it was all she had to keep her strength up.

Spike laid his head down on the pillow and relaxed on the bed beside the sleeping beauty. He knew he still had much more to do to prepare for his first meeting with Buffy, but for now he could rest. After all, he needed to be at the top of his game in order to think clearly. And he only had this one chance to make a second impression.


	3. The Lucid Truth

**A/N - Sorry it took so long for me to update, but consider this chapter a Christmas present (or any other kind of present) from me to everyone! And thank you for all the positive reviews so far. I hope you guys keep leaving them and that you all are enjoying this story so far. **

**Happy Holidays to everyone!**

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Chapter 3: The Lucid Truth

Spike awoke to the sensation of something tracing his face. He opened his eyes to find that Drusilla was awake as well, outlining his cheekbones with her fingernails. She was looking at him solemnly, mourning only something she knew of in her mind. The faeries had whispered such nasty things to her in her dreams, and she did not find pleasure in what they told her. Drusilla had always enjoyed watching the painful visions, but this last one was different.

She was shown a Spike that did not belong to her, a Spike whose soul was tied to another. Drusilla hated that her childe beside her now was the same Spike she had viewed in the vision. She had dreamt that her Dark Knight had perished in flames to redeem the soul he should not have had.

The bleached blonde scrunched his face in confusion as he watched his sire focus on whatever she was seeing in her head. Her hand recoiled into her bosom, and she whimpered as she turned over to face the other side of the room. She stared at the wall, trying to make sense of it all. Drusilla may not be completely sane, but sometimes she understood things all too clearly.

How this Spike could be her own Spike, yet not, was a mystery to her. He was her Spike when they had left Prague, she knew that. But she had a feeling that the Spike that was in the same bed as her was not her Spike. She had no understanding of how a future version of her sweet could reside in his present form. His body was the same as before, but his insides were different. His mind was not his own.

Drusilla would normally have been thrilled at the thought of possession, but not if it took away her prince. She had a deep knowledge that this Spike was not devoted to her, though she had no idea why. Her childe would have done anything to make her happy, but the vampire that was beside her was not the same childe.

Oh yes, he was still Spike, but not the same one. She lightly pondered why, but she could not figure it out in her mind.

At first, when she first woke up, her foremost thought was to smack the bleached blonde. She wanted to kick and scream until her sweet William returned, anything to make him love her again. The pixies had said that William could not come back, and that there was nothing she could do to fix him. He was not broken.

She may be crazy, but this was probably the most lucid moment she had in decades. If her Spike was gone, and if this one did not want her, then she would leave. She could learn to take care of herself. She must have in the future if she was no longer with Spike as she had seen in her vision.

"What's wrong, love?" Spike tried to coax the raven-haired beauty out of her thoughts.

Drusilla sat up and began talking to the wall, though Spike knew her words were really directed at him. "I know." Spike was puzzled, and he moved to sit next to her along the edge of the bed. She turned her head to him and repeated, "I know."

"Know what?" Spike was still puzzled, and he figured she must have seen something in a vision of hers.

"You are not my Spike, are you?" She looked down at her lap where her hands were crossed in a supine fashion.

Spike paused and considered lying to her. He knew it was no use though, as she had a tendency to see the truth no matter what he said. "No," he whispered. "How did you know?"

"I saw you, eaten up by such pretty flames. Swallowed you up whole, they did. Only ashes left. They put the light in my William, and now he's gone too." Drusilla was looking at some imaginary light in the sky as she spoke. She often did this as she talked about seeing the stars, even while indoors. She could see the stars in the night sky through the ceiling, and it wasn't much a surprise that she could see the true Spike even in his past body.

"And you're not…mad?" Spike was cautious of the insane vampire now. Though she didn't appear to be upset, or even confused as she might have been, she actually seemed to be at peace.

"I know that there is nothing I can do. I am not your love anymore. You're still mine, aren't you?"

The lucidity in her voice almost make Spike break down right there. Was this the same woman he spent his whole unlife with? He expected a raving mad vampire to deal with, not this soft-spoken shell of his sire. The last time he encountered his sire in his old life was when he had the chip. She was angry and kept telling him that he was a bad dog. That killing was instinct and all the pain he felt from it was all in his head. He would never imagine in a million years that she would accept his soul as his fate.

"Of course, pet. Always. What kind of question is that?"

"Miss Edith showed me who you really are, and I know she tells the truth. At first I thought—lies! But no, the mother has poured the tea for the tea party, and her children dare not disobey. We will play and laugh no more, but I will always remember. Won't you, my love?"

"Forever, my princess. I won't abandon you. I will heal you, you know."

"I know, my sweet. But I must leave. You've already left me. I see the sunshine, and you will not burn in it. You will shine," Drusilla giggled. "It is time for me to go. You are not lost, but found. I shall be found soon enough."

"I know how to fix you. I just need a bit of time to gather the materials. You'll be strong before you know it." Spike smiled.

Drusilla just faintly smiled and turned to face her childe. She lightly placed her hand on his cheek before stroking his chin with fingers. She laid back down on the mattress and fell back asleep.

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Spike left the factory through the underground sewers, making sure that he wasn't followed. The last thing he needed to do was alert to the other vampires that he had the ability to walk in the sun. He spent the remaining afternoon getting ready for his impending meeting with Buffy. His first stop was the tomb where he found the Gem of Amarra. He remembered last time how it had collapsed shortly after his excavation of the tunnels, and he wanted to clear out the jewels before they would be buried under the rubble.

He sold just under a quarter of the total amount of jewels he collected to every pawn shop in town and even to some in Los Angeles. Even with the smaller portion he sold, he was able to rake in nearly five grand, and that wasn't even from hawking the good things. With his new cash, he set himself up in the Sunnydale Motel for the next two nights and got his hands on a cell phone. He even got a second one for Buffy, just in case.

He hid the rest of the jewels in the motel room. These kinds of places didn't have safes, or any kind of security detail, but at least demons weren't known to flock to run-down motels to snag cash or anything of value. He also left an extra set of clothes in the closet so he could shower and change before going out to find Buffy.

Spike remembered to put in a special order to the local butcher about weekly supplies of pig's blood. He bought whatever remaining blood they had on hand and left that in the motel as well. He knew it was best not to keep pig's blood at the factory. He still hated drinking swine, but he knew that drinking human blood was out of the question. There was always going to Willy's for a pint or two every now and then, but he couldn't make it a habit to drink human blood often, as much as it would help him maintain his strength.

For the last few years, he didn't fight like he used to. He trained baby Slayers and didn't hit Harris as often as he wanted to, but that was what being a good guy asked of him. He no longer reveled in the blood of the innocent, or fucked his sire as they rolled around in what was left of their dinner. Spike knew that anything that was his past was just that, his past. He had to live the unlife he was currently living. He chose this, not for himself, but for Buffy. He made his bed, and now he was going to lie in it. But if it kept Buffy alive and prevented everything with the First, drinking pig's blood paled in comparison.

And tonight, he was going to take the first step in keeping his promise to change things.

* * *

Buffy Summers rounded the corner as she walked along the poorly-lit streets of Sunnydale. She was on her way to the Bronze to meet up with Xander and Willow. After her meltdown over what was left of the Master's bones the week before and the crazy Frankenstein deal that went on just a few days earlier, she needed a normal night with her friends.

She was just passing through a park as she came along a man sitting on a bench. He seemed out of place with his bleached hair and leather trench coat, but Buffy marched past him without making eye contact. After she was not ten feet away from him that she got the sense that something wasn't right. Her Slayer senses were tingling, and she realized that he was a vampire. Before she could pull out her stake and confront him, he called out to her.

"Buffy Summers."

Buffy turned to face the vampire. "Listen pal, I'm not looking for a busy night. I just want to have some fun with my friends. Without vampires," she emphasized. She slowly reached behind her back and wrapped her fingers around the stake she kept in the waistband of her pants.

"I'm not looking for a fight either. I just wanna talk."

"Yeah right. I bet you think 'talking' includes your fangs in my neck," Buffy didn't move her position, but she was on guard for any sudden movements on his part.

"At least you can tell that I'm a vampire. I'm not gonna lie to you about that," the bleached blonde seemed ready for Buffy if she were going to attack him, but he didn't seem like he was about to pounce on her either.

"Now, I know that's a lie. Vampires don't exactly tell the truth."

"Not even the ones with souls?"

Buffy was disarmed by his question. Suddenly, this didn't seem like an overly chatty vamp. She wondered if he was actually serious.

"You don't have a soul. I only know one vampire with a soul, and he was cursed with his. There is no one else like him."

"Yeah I know all about Angel and his curse. I'm not like that. But I was sent here by the Powers That Be."

Buffy scoffed at that. "Two vampires that happen to have souls and happen to be sent by the Powers? I don't buy it." The Slayer crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at the bleached blonde.

"It's a very complicated story. One I would be happy to tell you, but not right now."

"Well, the why don't I just ask Angel? He would be happy to tell me himself and at least I know that I can trust him. In fact, why don't we—"

"NO! I mean, the Poof doesn't know about my soul, and I'd rather not broadcast to him that I'm in town anyways. I came here to talk to you, and you alone, and if you would give me the chance to explain, I'll tell you anything you want to know. Please."

Buffy could here the pleading in his voice, and she almost believed him. Instead she made to move a step forward, only to find that he had appeared just inches in front of her, catching her arm with his hand. She swiftly knocked him off his feet and lightly pressed her stake over his chest. He just as swiftly removed the stake from her hand and reversed their positions on the ground. She tried to kick the vampire off, but he trapped her legs with his thighs and pinned her arms above her head.

"Listen Slayer, I'm not looking for a fight. I meant what I said. I'm not gonna creep around you and drop in with cryptic messages. I want to help you, you have to believe me. You can't tell Angel, and you can't tell your Watcher about this. I want you to know everything about me. I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but you can trust that I want to be upfront with you. Can you do that?"

Buffy was dumbfounded by the way this vampire not only over-powered her, but also the way he addressed her. It was almost like he already knew her. The Slayer just nodded her head without saying anything.

"Good." The bleached blonde lifted himself off of Buffy and dusted himself off. "Meet me at the Sunnydale Motel tomorrow night after midnight. I'm staying in room 15. I know it isn't the most glamorous of meeting places, but we need to meet in private. Don't let anyone follow you, especially Angel. If anything comes up, give me a ring. Here's my number," the vampire handed her a tiny card with a hand written telephone number scrawled across it. There was no name or address.

"You have a…cellphone?"

"I know, you think being a vampire means I can't keep up with the times, but trust me, these things can come in real handy sometimes. You should think about getting one," the vampire chuckled.

"Yeah, like my mom would let me. She won't even let me have a dog," Buffy smiled. The blonde thought of something else, "Hey, if you're supposed to be a good vampire sent by the Powers, why can't anyone know?"

"Like I said, it's complicated. I haven't exactly been a good guy for very long, and Angel and your Watcher can attest to that. I want to be the one that tells you about my past. But that's not the only reason for the secrecy. I have…information for you. Info that could save your life, and I want to tell you first. Before we involve the rest of your friends. It's…gonna be hard to explain as is."

"How do you know about my friends?" Buffy was suspicious of the vampire now.

"Let's just say…"

"It's complicated?" Buffy finished.

"Yeah," the vampire looked down at his shitkickers briefly before making eye contact with the Slayer. "You should be getting to Bronze now. Wouldn't wanna worry your friends." The bleached blonde turned to leave, but the Slayer stopped him.

"Hey, what do I call you?"

"Just call me…William."


End file.
